The Dolphins paid big bucks to sign Ndamukong Suh, but that’s not the only star they went after. Miami was also in the mix to sign Randall Cobb with a deal that was “significantly more,” than the four-year, $40MM deal he inked with Green Bay, a source told Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel.
The difference, Hyde writes, was that the Miami offer was backloaded, meaning that the final years of the contract paid the most money. That would have given the Dolphins time to get their salary situation in order and, perhaps, not be forced to release receiver Mike Wallace this upcoming season for financial reasons.
Cobb rated No. 3 on PFR’s top 50 free agents list and was reportedly seeking $12MM per year. At the time of the agreement with the Packers, it was said that Cobb had six or seven offers and turned down more money to stay in Green Bay.
The 5-foot-10 former second-round pick from Kentucky notched his first season of 1,000+ yards last year, re-establishing his value after missing 10 games due to a broken leg in 2013. Since entering the league in 2011, Cobb’s caught 75.2% of his targets — tops in the NFL in that span, per ESPN.